Bottle closure



Feb. 19, 1952 w. sATz BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed Oct. 21, 1950 III,

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Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CLOSURE William Satz, Los Angeles, Calif. Application October 21, 1950, Serial No. 191,364

2 Claims.

The invention relates to closures for bottles or containers of the type customarily used for beverages subjected to carbonation wherein the closure must be sufliciently strong to seal under reasonably heavy pressure of the kind customarily encountered. In somewhat more particular the device relates to a closure for sealing containers of the type adapted to enclose carbonated beverages wherein the closure can be applied and removed by hand.

Some considerable variety of closures have been made available for use customarily by householders and others for capping bottles for carbonated beverages. Quite commonly only a portion of the contents of a container is used when the container is initially opened and un less the container is tightly sealed again, part ofthe carbonation is lost and the beverage loses its zest. Some expedients heretofore employed have relied upon the resiliency of rubber alone to seal containers of this kind. Others have resorted to one type of mechanical device or another such as screw caps and levers, but in most cases either the sealing effect has been insufficient to retain the carbonation of the contents of the container or the application of the closure has been sufliciently critical or hard to operate manually to discourage use.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved manually applicable closure for containers to replace the permanent cap after removal wherein the closure fits tight under all circumstances, thereby assuring holding the carbonation and which is particularly easy to apply and remove by hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved closure of the reusable type adapted to be applied to bottle necks of the kind employed for carbonated beverages which is relatively simple to the end that it may be manuiactured cheaply and economically, which is small in size so as not to interfere with the storage of the container in a refrigerator, and which at the same time is capable of eifectng a tight seal without special manipulation of mechanical parts.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is, a perspective view of the closure 2 showing the neck of a typical container to which it may be applied.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the parts illustrated in Figure 1 before application of the closure to the container.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the closure in sealing position on the container.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the gripping and sealing device which is part of the closure.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the gripping and sealing device is stamped.

Many commercially popular beverages are those relying upon carbonation under pressure to give them their character. Some of these, for example, are the popular carbonated fruit flavors, others are commercially formulated flavors and beer. Inasmuch as it is necessary in the first instance to tightly seal the container to contain the pressure of carbonation, if only a portion of the contents is to be used an equally effective reusable seal becomes necessary if the unused portion of the contents is not to be wasted. Since it is not feasible for the average householder to have at his disposal complicated or expansive rescaling devices, the reusable closure which he must depend upon must be especially well adapted to hold the pressure o the contents in the carbonated beverage. Small reusable closures, while popular and handy, seldom employ sufiicient leverage to force the closure into sealing position in a manner suflicient to hold high carbonation in the beverage.

In the embodiment of the invention herein described there has therefore been provided a cap having a body in of some considerable s ze sufiicient to be firmly grasped' by hand. The body presents an elongated shape and may, if desired, include a decorative element H.

As shown in more particular in Figure 2 the body Ill has extending thereinto from a large end l2 an opening comprising an outer frustoconical part l3 and an inner cylindrical part !4. To lighten the weight of the body there is a hollow inner part I 5, there. being provided a shoulder It at the bottom of the part I4 at its. junction with the innermost part l5. As here shown the innermost part I5. is entirely covered over by a bottom ll of the body.

Around the outermost edge of the frustoconical part is an inwardly turned rim I8, annular inform. Also included in the particular embodiment selected is a sleeve l9 forming the wall of the part.v M of the opening. Whether or nota sleeve may be included depends to some ex 3 tent upon the character of the material used for the bottle itself.

Inside of the body there is provided a combined gripping and sealing device indicated generally by the reference character 20 and shown in perspective in Figure 4. The gripping and Se in device comprises a closure disk 2! having a diameter approximately that of the outside of a neck 22 of a container 23 so that the closure disk may effectively seal an opening 24 at the neck of the container. Around the perimeter of the closure disk is a series of what may be termed spokes 25 spaced one from another and terminating in rolled ends forming inwardly turned beads 26. The closure disk and the spokes are integral one with another and preferably formed with some springy resilient metal properly se lected and threaded to retain its springiness for a long period of time. For added rigidity a flange 2'! may be formed around the perimeter of the closure disk. A blank form such as that illustrated in Figure is found useful in preparing the closure disk in that by making the spokes 25 integral with the disk and long enough to have ends 29 turned over to form the inwardly directed beaded portions 26, the cost of the gripping and sealing device can be materially reduced.

After the gripping and sealing device has been given the form illustrated in Figure 4, a sealing washer 39 may be applied to the surface which will eventually overlie the open end of the container, the washer being glued or otherwise fastened in the gripping and sealing device. When the gripping and sealing device is formed, the spokes are positioned in a resiliently distended position such as that illustrated in Figure 4 and the sealing device is inserted into the frusto-conical part l3 of the opening in the body so that it occupies the position shown in Figure 2. As there illustrated the spokes 25 are initially pressed resiliently outwardly into substantial contact with the wall and the frusto-conical part. The inwardly turned rim [8 serves to contact beaded ends 28 of the spokes and retain the gripping and sealing device in position within the body. If preferred, the depth of the frustoconical part-may be less than the depth of the cylindrical part, thus permitting the closure disk to extend partly into the cylindrical part in initial position.

Thus assembled the reusable closure is ready for application to the container. This is accomplished by merely grasping the body and inserting the neck 22 of the container 23 into the open end of the body. The closure is then pressed downwardly against the neck of the con tainer so that the sealing washer 30 contacts the rim of the opening 24. Pressure of the rim of the opening forces the gripping and sealing device upwardly or inwardly of the opening in the bod until the closure disk 2| strikes against the shoulder is at the bottom of the cylindrical' part Id of the opening. Slightly before this takes place the spokes will have been pressed inwardly by the edge 3! formed at the junction of the frusto-conical part I3 with the cylindrical part 4. The spokes, being resilient and springy, are easily depressed inwardly to the position shown in Figure 3 wherein the beads 26 of the spokes are pressed into a recess 32 on the neck of the bottle beneath a bead 33. The depth of the cylindrical part IA of the opening is greater than the length of the spokes so that the spokes may be completely contained within the cylina drical part and not work out should the position of the body on the container be slightly disturbed. Once in position as illustrated in Figure 3, the body is forced downwardly tight enough so that the sealing washer 30 effectively seals the neck of a container. The length of the spokes is such that the beaded portions 26 tend to be forced downwardly by the slope at the underside of the bottom, thereby to retain the sealing washer in efiective sealing position. Once in place even if the container should be agitated and the gas pressure somewhat increased, any tendency to lift the closure disk will be restricted by action of the beaded portions 26 beneath the bead and the bottle which are not permitted any outward movement, and the seal will therefore remain secure and effective.

When it is desired to remove the closure, it is necessary only to grasp the body manually and lift it from the neck of the container. Comparatively little manual force is needed to withdraw the wall or cylindrical part M of the opening from its position around the outside surfaces of the spokes and as soon as the spokes begin to enter the frusto-conical part [3 of the opening, they begin to spread outwardly and reassume the positions illustrated in Figure 2 until they finally are spread wide enough so as to entirely clear the bead 33 on the container. At this point the body can be lifted clear and the contents poured out. Reapplication of the body to the neck of the container makes an equally effective seal no matter how many times removal and reapplication may occur.

In accordance with the foregoing description there has thus been presented a compact, reliable and inexpensive container closure suitable for reuse while at the same time embodying a principle of closure suitable for all occasions wherein the retention of the pressure of gases in beverages may be encountered.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A closure for a receptacle of the character described having a beaded neck, said closure com prising an elongated hollow body portion ex tended to provide a firm hand'grip and open at one end by a boring, the walls of which define stepped sections comprising an inner section and an outer larger section, the inner section of which boring is substantially cylindrical and has a shouldered end, said outer boring having the wall defining the same terminating in an inwardly turned rim defining the mouth of the outer boring section, a slidable sealing device within said boring comprising a closure disk fitting snugly within said first section of said boring and slidably movable from one section to the other, said closure disk having outwardly flared spring spokes extending from the periphery thereof and bent to engage the walls of the boring, each spoke including inwardly turned bead engaging portions which in their outwardly flared position in the larger section of the boring are engaged by the rim to remove the closure disk from engagement with the neck of the receptacle by the removal of the body portion and when slid in the boring in the inner section directs the ends of the spokes into engagement with the beaded neck of the receptacle.

2. A closure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said outer larger section is a frusto-conical boring flaring outwardly toward said rim to cam said spokes to within said first section when pressing the closure into position.

WILLIAM SATZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Kaye May 25, 1920 Reutter Apr. 17, 1928 Mead n Jan. 8, 1935 Sentman Nov. 17, 1936 Longway Aug. 31, 1937 Casablancas Oct. 11, 1938 White May 16, 1939 Magnesen Apr. 25, 1944 

